oligarch

noun

ol·​i·​garch ˈä-lə-ˌgärk How to pronounce oligarch (audio) ˈō- How to pronounce oligarch (audio)
plural oligarchs
1
: a member or supporter of an oligarchy
2
in Russia and other countries that succeeded the Soviet Union : one of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles
But what does it really mean to be a Russian oligarch …? … in Russian politics, the term first came about in the 1990s to describe a dozen or so powerful men who amassed immense wealth following the collapse of the Soviet Union.The Business Insider
The task force will pool the resources of the countries' law enforcement divisions to track down the assets of Russian oligarchs stashed overseas, a difficult task complicated by the opaque or complicated financial instruments frequently used by Russian financial elites to hide their holdings from public view.Jeff Stein
… young Armenians, who joined the protests in droves, angry that the same small club of politicians and oligarchs has controlled the country since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.Neil Macfarquhar

Examples of oligarch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Poland opted for a strategic series of stabilization measures that managed to avoid crushing hyperinflation or the rise of oligarchs that have come to dominate some neighboring states to this day. Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025 Gavras, working from a script he co-wrote with Pulitzer-finalist playwright Will Arbery, seems to be poking fun at the vacuous postures of the oligarch class, just as Ruben Östlund and many other filmmakers have in recent years. Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 More pragmatism means not widening class divisions by cutting Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding to give tax breaks to oligarchs. Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 Dano is joined by Jude Law as Putin; Alicia Vikander as Baranov’s beautiful wife Ksenia, who oscillates between a desire for bohemian freedom and wealth and influence, and Will Keen as real-life late oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a former ally of the Russian leader who became an exiled critic. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oligarch

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek oligárchēs, from olig- olig- + -archēs -arch entry 1, after Greek oligarcheîsthai "to be ruled by an oligarchy," oligarchía oligarchy

First Known Use

circa 1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of oligarch was circa 1610

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Cite this Entry

“Oligarch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oligarch. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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